FRANCE - Summary

In northern France, forests were cleared at faster and faster rates. As the population grew, the pressure for land increased. Churches and houses were usually made of timber, but as the number of suitable trees dwindled the structures had to change. At St. Denis in Paris, Abbot Suger dreamed of rebuilding the old abbey. His inspiration was a mystical vision of heaven. He envisioned slender stone columns, huge windows, and a mighty roof that would draw the eye upward toward heaven.

Skeptics told Abbot Suger he would never find trees large enough to stretch across such an expanse, but he persevered. He finally found twelve trees tall enough to span the roof and was able to build his dream cathedral. St. Denis, a mixture of stone and wood, was completed in Suger's lifetime. However, it would go through several renovations; as cathedrals continued to expand, more and more stone was used. The construction of St. Denis sparked the beginning of the new style of "Gothic" architecture. Over the next 150 years, cathedrals sprang up throughout Europe.